The Heir of Slytherin
by UnluckiestFridays
Summary: River Song is a proud Slytherin with a close friendship circle and the most wonderful girlfriend. However, she has a secret. She is the Heir of Slytherin. Hogwarts AU.


**The Heir of Slytherin**

**Summary: River Song is a proud Slytherin with a close friendship circle and the most wonderful girlfriend. However, she has a secret. She is the Heir of ****Slytherin. Hogwarts AU. **

**A/N: Inspired by an edit I saw on Instagram by acciwho.**

Chapter one:

River Song twirled her unicorn hair core wand in her hand, her robes already on as she sat alone in one of the train compartments. Many people had requested to join her in the booth as everywhere else was full, but she had hastily sent them away with a harsh glare.

It was her first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and she was, admittedly, a little nervous. Not that she would admit that to anyone. She hid it all beneath a facade of bravery and certainty that everything would be fine.

Sighing, she tucked her wand away up her sleeve and leaned down to open up the suitcase she had been resting her feet on. It belonged to her and had all of her essentials, such as a some change of clothes, her toothbrush and hairbrush, a couple pairs of shoes, and some spare robes. It also kept all of her snacks in it. She wasn't going to pay the trolley lady for any of her expensive sweets when she had her own tucked away in a hidden compartment of her suitcase.

Unzipping said compartment, she pulled out some enchanted strawberry laces. They were her favourite. If she was being honest, she liked all kinds of sweets no matter their flavour or enchantment, but the laces were her favourite. They were spelled to twist into the shape of a bowtie when taken out of the packet and she had a bit of a fondness for bowties.

Closing her suitcase again, River leant back and started to open her strawberry laces only to stop in annoyance when someone opened the compartment door. Instead of asking if she could join her, the blonde wearing an odd assortment of clothes who had opened the door simply came in, closed the door, and sat down opposite River.

"Hi, I'm Theta," the girl, Theta, apparently, smiled kindly, extending a hand for River to shake. When it was ignored, she brought it in and rested it on her lap instead, not seeming offended. "Sorry, everywhere else is full and this is the only available compartment. Besides, my brother and his friends don't want me to join them. What's your name?"

Raising an eyebrow, River indulged her, "River Song."

"No way! I've heard of you! Your parents were famous in the Wizarding World until..." Theta gushed only to quickly stop herself before she said something she'd regret, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."

"I'm not upset," River denied, but truthfully, the mention of her late parents had caused her heart to stutter and a lump to rise in her throat. She swallowed it down.

There was silence for a second or two as Theta apparently thought of something to say.

"Are those enchanted strawberry laces?" She asked.

"Yes, I was just going to eat them before you blundered in," River said.

Theta ignored River's attempted insult and her smile grew as she got up and sat next to River.

"Can I have one?"

Sighing, River opened the packet and held it out for Theta to take one. Once the blonde had one and was admiring it twisting into the shape of a bowtie, River took her own.

"I love bowties," Theta said conversationally, holding the strawberry lace bowtie up to her neck. "Think it suits me?"

River held back a fond chuckle, trying to force back any nice feelings for Theta. She shook her head and took a bite of her strawberry lace as Theta did the same.

"What's your last name?" River wondered, realising Theta hadn't given it.

"Doctors," Theta answered, chewing her own lace, "I'm not sure it really goes with my first name, though, so I just call myself Theta. My best friend Koschei calls me Thete. It's a sort of nickname but it doesn't sound that different to Theta. I like, it though."

"I like your name," River admitted, "Theta Doctors, it's unique. Like you."

Theta grinned, all teeth and shining eyes.

"I like your name, too," Theta said, "River Song is lovely. As are you."

River chuckled when Theta's cheeks went red and she ducked her head, nibbling her strawberry lace.

"Thank you, sweetie," River laughed.

"'Sweetie'?" Theta squeaked, eyes wide as she looked up.

"Oh, dear. You are hopeless," River sighed fondly, "you should change into your robes, though, we'll be arriving soon."

"Oh, right!" Theta exclaimed, shoving the rest of her sweet in her mouth and jumping up, drawing the blinds on the windows.

She picked up the battered suitcase she had brought in with her and opened it up, revealing a messily packed assortment of clothes and all sorts of odd things such as a small police box toy and some odd looking looking device with an orange end. River rose an eyebrow and watched as Theta rummaged through her things before finding her robes and pulling them out.

oOoOoOo

"You know, I don't even think Hagrid is the biggest person I've ever met!" Theta commented as she, River, and the other students trailed behind Rubeus Hagrid and Argus Filch. "I once met a woman who was even taller than he is."

"Really?" River asked, not the slightest bit interested.

"Yep! She was huge," Theta said. "Hey, I wonder what house I'll be in. I wonder what house _you'll_be in. I hope we're in the same house."

"I'm going to be in Slytherin," River told Theta with absolute certainty.

"Really? How do you know?" Theta asked, and, strangely, there was no judgement in her voice at the though of River being in Slytherin.

"Everyone in my family as far back as we can trace as been in Slytherin."

"That's brilliant," Theta smiled, "I'm not sure what house my parents were in, let alone my ancestors. I hope we'll both be in Slytherin, then. If not, then I hope we still stay friends, no matter what house I end up in."

It was the first time any of them had claimed their friendship and River almost stumbled in shock, turning to look at Theta with wide eyes. It wasn't the fact that she had said they were friends- no, that wasn't so surprising- it was the fact that she even _wanted _to be friends with River. Thus far, everyone had avoided River like she had the plague, the only people who wanted to talk simply needed somewhere to sit on the train. But here Theta was, forcing her way into River's life, bit by bit, and being the first to claim they were friends even before River had considered it a friendship.

"Come on, Riv, you don't want to get left behind," Theta called, turning and walking backwards to look at River.

Blinking, River hurried to keep up with her... friend. It was strange to say she had a friend, but she wasn't going to deny it anymore. There was something about Theta that River couldn't quite grasp, but she thought that perhaps she really did want the excitable blonde to be her friend.

Reaching her, River hooked her arm with Theta's, throwing a warm smile her way, thanking Merlin that Theta returned the sentiment without hesitation.

oOoOoOo

River looked up and admired the beautiful ceiling of the Great Hall as she and the other first years made their way to the front of the room. She'd read about the Hall ceiling a while ago in Hogwarts: A History, but there was a huge difference between reading about it and seeing it in person.

Beside her, Theta was staring up at the ceiling too, mouth agape and wonder in her eyes.

Eventually, the group of first years came to a collective stop at the front of the Hall and admired the Professors, specifically Professor Dumbledore. His long, white beard was as impressive as he was with his wizards hat and moon spectacles.

"River, look," Theta whispered, squeezing River's arm, "it's Dumbledore! I've always wanted to meet him."

Carefully, River extracted her arm from Theta's when she started to lose feeling in it.

"Well, I'm sure you'll get to talk to him at some point," River said, though she doubted it. Dumbledore was a very busy person.

"You think so?"

"Of course, sweetie," River said, patting Theta on the shoulder.

River tuned back into what Professor McGonagall was saying just in time to hear her announce the first students name. The sorting hat rested on a wooden stool, ready for the first years to be sorted into their houses.

The first person to be announced was Theta as her last name was the closest to the start of the alphabet. With excitement, Theta ran up to the stool and practically jumped on it, waiting impatiently for the Professor to put the Sorting Hat on her head.

When the Hat was placed on her head, the Hall fell silent in anticipation and curiosity.

"Hmm," the Sorting Hat hummed, turning Theta's head this way and that. "A tricky one, I see. There is goodness in you, I see, but also a darkness."

"'Darkness'?" Theta repeated quietly with worry. "There's no darkness in me."

The Hat merely hummed again and fell quiet for a long moment. Eventually, after what felt like forever, the Hat had come to a decision.

"Gryffindor!" It called out with certainty.

Theta breathed a evident sigh of relief and hopped off the stool to join her classmates at the Gryffindor table, casting River a satisfied smile on her way. River returned to smile, but couldn't help feeling dejected that they wouldn't be in the same house.

"Jack Harkness," McGonagall called next.

A young boy with kempt brown hair and a smug smile confidently strode up to the stool, much to everyone's amusement. He took a seat and the hat had barely touched his head before it yelled out, "Gryffindor!"

With the widest of smiles, Jack slid off the stool and joined his fellow Gryffindors at the table, earning quite a few hugs and handshakes as everyone clapped and cheered.

"Martha Jones," McGonagall called out, her voice reverberating around the room.

A young black girl with a ponytail shuffled past some of the other students and nervously made her way up to the stool, taking a seat when McGonagall removed the sorting hat.

The hat was placed on Martha's head and it took a few seconds, but finally, the hat boomed out, "Ravenclaw!"

Martha's face lit up and she hopped down off the stool, running over to her assigned house table as everyone else whooped.

Next was a blonde boy with shaggy hair and dark freckles over his nose. He walked up to the chair and took a seat. The hat had barely touched his head before Hufflepuff was announced and the boy let out a sigh of relief. He rushed over to the table and was warmly welcomed by his table members.

The sorting ceremony went on for a while and with each second that past, River felt herself getting more and more nervous. What if she wasn't sorted into Slytherin? She couldn't let her parents down like that. They had been in Slytherin and that's what they wanted from her, too. She _had _be in Slytherin.

"River Song."

The hall fell silent with the occasional whisper here and there. River steeled herself and stepped up to the stool, taking her seat whilst purposely looking everyone in the eye to let them know she wasn't nervous (even though she was).

The Hat was settled on River's head, flattening some of her wild, blonde curls.

"Ah, a Song," the Sorting Hat said, "haven't had one of these in a long time."

River said nothing, only hoping that the Hat would hear her prayers and sort her into Slytherin.

"Tricky, tricky, tricky," the Hat murmured, "I think it'll be... Slytherin!"

River smiled the widest she'd ever smiled and waited for Mcgonagall to remove the Hat so she could run to her table.

Everyone cheered loudly and River rushed over to the Slytherin table, receiving hugs and handshakes from her fellow Slytherins. They welcomed her like she was one of their family and it was something River had been craving since her parents had been mercilessly killed years ago.

With a content, happy sigh, River took her seat at the table and looked up, over to the Gryfinndor table, meeting Theta's eyes.


End file.
